Oceans no longer protect us

[phkrause]

Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios

Space- and cyber-technologies are raising the likelihood that war will crash onto America's doorstep, Axios' Colin Demarest writes. Why it matters: Centuries of national-security strategy rely on protection from the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. But these weapons conquer vast distances. America has long had the edge in space and cyberspace. But China and other powers are closing the gap: Hackers tied to China's People's Liberation Army abscond with countless files detailing stateside arsenals. That theft propels its modernization. Other saboteurs stalk critical infrastructure, including in Guam, a key U.S. foothold. A digital onslaught there would sap American military responses in the Indo-Pacific. Russian hacks plague Ukraine. North Korean cyberattacks rake in money to fund the regime's weapons programs. A record-setting 2,877 spacecraft were launched in 2023. While most were attributed to the U.S. and its booming commercial sector, Chinese and European numbers were on the rise. Both China and Russia have made strides in developing space weapons that could knock out satellites essential to navigation, overhead imaging and long-distance communications. Destructive testing of anti-satellite weapons has produced dangerous debris. A senior Pentagon official earlier this year warned of Moscow's efforts to put a nuclear device into space.